by Sage, May
Rook's gaze now lit on the highest tower in the immortal city, directly overlooking the overking's keep. The cumbersome steel building was an eyesore, yet it was necessary—it generated the power that kept their walls closed around the city, and around the Isle itself.
Rook jumped down the roof, his wings extending so he could soar until he landed. He winced, and then laughed. Kira and her damnable fire had certainly done some damage. Most wounds healed fast. His wings were so sensitive he still felt the burn. He should have, could have, might have, killed her for it.
He hadn't. A strategic mistake that had considerably weakened him, he realized now. It was too late to do anything about that.
Rook was all for taking the world as it was and molding it to his purposes. Regretting the past was a waste of time and energy.
He marched forth, until he'd reached the bottom of the power structure. A dozen guards had been posted around its entrance. They wore a different, unfamiliar silvery armor. Fyriron, he realized. The moment he approached, they pointed their spears at his chest.
Rook smiled. "I don't believe you're up to speed with the change of hierarchy in this kingdom."
The closest guard replied, "We do not answer to any entity in this world, child."
Rook stilled. He felt it in their voice and energy; these were true ancients, like the handful of gods scattered around their world. But they didn't feel like Enlightened.
"Who do you answer to, then?"
"The crown."
Rook canted his head. "And if I win the crown and my first order is to dismember you for disrespecting me now, what will you do?"
"The crown," the guard emphasized. "The crown ruling over all gods, the crown of light and shadow. We answer to Nalini Krane and Kai Lor Hora. Their order is that none shall pass. And none shall."
Rook stilled. He recognized the names from tales of Elden Star, who mentioned the tales of rulers of the Enlightened world when he’d had a little too much wine on a cold night. Nothing he'd seen in his thousands of years had indicated that those entities still had a presence anywhere on the Isle, on Ertia.
His eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to win this fight by butting in. He had to think his way around it.
His gaze went skyward again, and Rook smiled.
No, not around it. Above it.
"Suit yourself." Rook waved a goodbye, turning his heels and returning to the palace.
He could get in through the air, if the guards were distracted. Maybe. Though he doubted he'd have more than once chance.
He had to get in, and do what needed to be done, before these creatures realized he'd slipped by.
Rook headed to the cavernous throne hall inside the palace. He did his best to avoid it in general; just being in the presence of the large throne on its imposing dais was enough to drain some of his strength.
He pushed the door open. The blue chamber was not empty. Since the night he'd killed Orin, it had been guarded by two. Pallas and Iapetus, often. Thea and Hyperion. A few weeks ago, Styx had also arrived and taken a turn.
The gods wanted to be there at all times, so they could witness the rise of their new leader when one of them was finally enthroned.
He was glad to find Iapetus present. That titan didn't seem to wholly detest him. Yet.
Styx was another story. She'd never said a word to him, and she didn't even bother to glare, but when her dead eyes were on him, Rook had the impression she was picturing the thousands of ways she could extract his soul from his dying corpse.
He tilted his head to invite Iapetus to step out in the corridor. The Enlightened got up from his seat at the foot of the dais and followed him.
"I have a hypothetical question for you."
"Hypothetical." Iapetus snorted. "I find that likely."
"And answering it would grant you a favor of your choosing," Rook added.
The god watched him and smiled. "I'm listening."
He wasn't about to pass up a favor from a male who could become his king.
He, like all other Enlightened, had grown used to doing what they wanted, scattered through the Isle and the rest of the world. Instead of following convention, whoever was enthroned would have the power to order them to stay at court, force them to fight for them, or worse.
They'd pay a high price for their freedom.
"If one wanted to disable the wards around the Isle, would it be possible from the tower?"
The god narrowed his eyes. "Why one would want to undo the wards that have protected this territory for thousands of years is a better question."
He could have given him a reason; instead, Rook shrugged. "One answer. One favor."
The god narrowed his eyes. Moments passed before he stated, "It's impossible. The tower only generates power. The controls are linked to the throne."
"If it generates power, wouldn't destroying it undo the wards?"
Iapetus's eyes flashed. "One answer, one favor," he repeated.
"Certainly. Except I'm under the impression you've given me a misleading answer. Is it impossible, Iapetus?"
The god started to walk away.
"You may not know me well, but I trust you understand that I will blast it into oblivion on a maybe."
"You'd destroy this kingdom's technological advancement in one single strike. Including the throne you so desire. You'd plunge us into a dark age. And we will be free to do as we please," Iapetus said, a threatening edge to his last words.
"I do not care for your electric toys. Let them burn."
For a moment, Rook wondered if the Enlightened would hit him, before remembering he couldn't. As long as Rook was one of the contenders for the throne, none of the gods could harm him. Their laws dictated it.
"The top floor. The generators for the outer shields have to reach farther than any others, so they're on the top floor. If you destroy the highest level of the tower and affect nothing else, the wall will fail, and the rest should still function."
Rook grinned, and tapped his shoulder. "There. It wasn't so hard, now, was it?"
Iapetus's teeth flashed. "One favor," he reminded him.
Now that he was done, Rook could have headed right back to the tower. And not so long ago, he might have. Instead, he walked up the flights of stairs leading to his apartments, and knocked twice on an ornate gold door, before pushing it open.
He knew better than to expect an invitation to come in.
"Dinner?" he asked Kira.
She stood next to her open window, facing away from him.
Then she turned to glare.
"How long do you intend to keep me locked up in here?"
"Who knows? One day, one month, one year, one century. Did you enjoy your walk in the garden?"
She grabbed the first object on her left—a foot-long statue—and chucked it at him. "I'm not some damn dog you can walk for an hour a day! I won't yap, heel, and be happy because I've had a bit of fresh air."
Rook laughed. Her spirit, her strength, all were fire, to the bone.
"Come, sit. I have things to tell you that may comfort you. Only with food."
She wasn't eating enough. And while it definitely had something to do with the fact that he was keeping her captive, he still hated it.
Rook rang a bell and ordered some more of her favorite dishes when a servant came.
"I hate you," she reminded him.
"I'm aware. But if you eat well, I'll tell you a thing or two about Valerius Blackthorn's whereabouts. And your sister's."
Kira's eyes widened. She ate everything on her plate, so Rook told her they were in town.
"Here." Kira's voice was a whisper, just a breath full of feelings.
Rook couldn't keep track of all of them, though he tried. Joy, happiness, relief, fear, confusion, anger.
Some made sense. Others didn't.
"I've lost you. Are you pissed or happy?"
"Stop reading my mind!" she yelled.
Rook shrugged. "Well, tell me what you’re thinking and I won
't have to."
A lie. He read her mind because he couldn't help it. He had to physically shield himself from her thoughts, otherwise they reached out to him without his even trying.
"I'm thinking that you're going to get what's coming to you. I'm thinking that Devi's going to find you and kill you."
She was telling the truth, he felt it.
Rook grinned.
Because she wasn't happy about it.
"Well, I do have a trick or two in my sleeves. Relax. I have no intention of harming your sister."
"No, you're under the impression she'll marry you, for some reason."
Now, he laughed. "No such designs, but she's a good friend of mine. I'll keep her out of what's coming next, if I can."
"Devira won't stay out of your power trip. She'll stop you."
"She'll try," Rook admitted. "You and I both know I can stop people from doing anything. With my mind. Easily."
Kira rolled her eyes.
"But…in case things don't go as planned," he said, "know that you'll be free to walk out the moment I'm killed. The spell will break if I'm not maintaining it."
Kira's gaze stayed on her glass of wine. She took it and held it up in a toast. "Here's to your funeral, then."
Again, Rook smiled.
Twenty-Four
Two Paths
“The bells mean the city is under attack, don’t they?”
Vale nodded. “I felt the wards erect around it while you were passed out. Your father must be close.”
Her heart beat in her chest. Devi had been trained as a protector of the unseelie realm and as such, she would have liked to believe that she was at least a little prepared for things like these; attacks, fleeing guards, sneaking into places. Instead, while it was going on, she could hardly breathe properly.
She let Vale’s calm and focus soothe her nerves.
“How do we get to the palace?” Devi asked.
It had been one thing to discuss their plan but now that they were in the city, she wasn’t sure how they were supposed to manage. In Staren, it had been easy enough, with an unsuspecting lord who welcomed just about anyone at his doors. And no one had been specifically looking for them back then.
“I only visited the city once—there’s one thing I remember. I was received through the main gate, right ahead. Huge, elegant high fences of iron and gold. During my short stay, however, when I wandered, I found another entrance. One no one was supposed to see from the outside. See, even in the Court of Crystal, nobles eat, sleep, and piss. They need servants.”
“Fae, no doubt,” Devi guessed.
He nodded, pointing at a large building on the left. “That’s our ticket in. The service entrance. It goes underground and leads to the kitchens, so that they remain out of sight.”
Devi bit her lip. “Won’t Rook expect that?”
She’d given up trying to use any other name in order to distance herself from him. He’d been her friend, and she’d have to accept it. Embrace it, if she was to succeed in her one mission.
When—she wouldn’t say “if”—they made it to the court, she was supposed to find him and lead him to the throne room.
Somehow.
“Perhaps. Still, if I know one thing after our time here, it’s that we have allies in the fae of this realm. I’d say we have a better chance with them than we do aboveground, among the scions.”
Devi opened her eyes and closed them again. She knew what she had to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“It’s a great idea, little elf,” Vale said softly.
Damn psychic.
“Really? You made a huge fuss when Kallan offered to do just that.”
He laughed. “He was volunteering to pretend being me, against enemies who clearly wanted me dead. You want to go through the main entrance so your friend keeps his attention on you while I sneak in underground. That’s not remotely the same thing.”
She hated it. She abhorred the thought of being away from him while they’d both be in danger.
Valerius tugged her hand, pulling her close until she was right against him, and took her mouth, slow and purposefully, his every touch making her understand what her mind already knew. He hated it too. He would do anything so that she was safe, happy, without worry. For the realm, and so that they might both bask in thousands of years of peace after this, he’d do just about anything.
“All right. If anything goes wrong, you reach out to me. Promise?” She didn’t think she could bear it if she didn’t know he was safe at all time.
She didn’t state the obvious. That they’d never tried to communicate through a large distance. They’d always been relatively close. Even if he did end up calling her if he needed her help, there was a chance she wouldn’t hear him. And vice versa.
“As long as you promise the exact same thing.”
Vale handed her the charm Telenar had put together using Vale’s blood before kissing her forehead one last time, leaping down to the street below.
He pulled his cloak’s hood over his head and disappeared through the crowd.
Devi waited until he turned at the end of the street before making her way down herself, device firmly in hand. She walked north, through the increasingly clean and elegant streets. Higher up in the fae town, the homes were grander, larger, and the pavement, white and shining. By the time she reached the gates, every single house was as beautiful and dignified as the home where she’d grown up in Farj.
Devi looked at the device in her palm, mistrustful and unconvinced. It hadn't so much as twitched as she walked through the city. No sign of a single vibration, and it certainly wasn't lighting up.
She was going to have to look for Rook the old-fashioned way in the gargantuan palace before her. It wasn’t so much a keep as an inner city, a hundred times the size of Wolvenfort.
Telenar said it should react when she was close to Vale’s blood; it remained stubbornly still and dull. She sighed and stepped toward the main gates.
Watching the twelve guards behind the large barrier, something told her they weren’t going to be as simple to fool as the knights of Staren.
“I wonder what you’ll do. Fight them, jump the gates, just walk through the doors and tell them you’re looking for me? I see all these possibilities floating above your pretty head.”
Devi froze, and turned. Right behind her, Rook stood, his presence absolutely masked, just like Styx’s had been. It revealed just how much power the male wielded.
“And I would have let you choose. It might have been entertaining. Regrettably, I’m in a hurry, and I don’t want you harmed, Devi. Follow me and let us have a chat.”
The crowd waiting in front of the gates parted to let him through, and spotting him, the guards immediately lowered the barrier. Devi remained where she stood, hand inching toward the hilt at her belt.
The only thing stopping her from drawing it was the knowledge that if Rook had read her intentions, her plans, he must have seen this too.
Seen what she hadn’t said out loud to anyone. Not her father, the elven commanders, Telenar, Gallal, or even Vale.
The fact that if she couldn’t force him to follow her to the throne room, she intended to kill him. That had been his initial plan for Valerius; if he was dead, the throne would only consider the remaining heirs as potential overking. But if he was alive and didn’t attend, this conflict would never end, tearing the Isle down as they fought over who was supposed to rule over the ruins.
“Come on, Devi. We don’t have time to waste.”
He sounded bored, not even bothering to turn back and face her, which was a testament to his belief that he was in no danger from her.
Because he was stronger than her. Or because he thought that she wouldn’t have the strength to kill her friend.
Devi decided she didn’t need to know whether he was right on either account. For now.
She followed as he led her past the guards and left toward a flower garden.
“Are we to walk
in silence? We’re old friends, after all, you and I.”
Devi snorted. “Right. Friends. Then you attacked my city, hunted your brother like it was a game, shot my horse, kidnapped me, and threatened to hurt my—” She stopped herself.
Pissed as she was for all the reasons she’d just listed and more, angering him might not be the wisest course of action right now.
“Mate? That’s what you were about to say, right? Congratulations, by the way. When will you hold a ceremony?”
He’d either grown considerably better at hiding his rage, or he wasn’t angry.
Which made no sense.
“I’ll admit, I might have been hasty in my decisions, on most of those fronts. Asra had to fall. Asra was never a fae court to begin with. It had to be emptied so that my people can have it back. I’d rather send a few hundred scions to scare the little fae out of it than let thousands of orcs claim it, killing anyone within.”
This again. “I don’t get you. Why this obsession with orcs, Rook? You said it yourself: they kill indiscriminately.”
He shrugged. “So do I. So do you. The only difference is that they don’t feel bad about what they are. I am obsessed with them because they’re my folk, my clan, my blood. Unlike everyone on this Isle.”
“Orin had your blood. Vale has your blood.”
He sent her a look full of derision and amusement. “Orin raped my mother. As for Valerius, yes. He has my blood. And he would never have cared.”
“I guess you’ll never know, as you started to hunt him down before he had any idea you existed.”
Rook sighed. “We’re not here to rehash past decisions, mistakes or otherwise.”
Devi shook her head, downright confused now. “Wait, was that an apology of sorts? If so, try again.”
Rook’s grinned uncovered his teeth. “I don’t apologize for what I am. When you have nothing, you learn to do whatever is necessary to gain what you desire. Something you wouldn’t have a clue about.”
Devi knew it was stupid, and she took a swing at him anyway. He blocked her fist with nonchalance and amusement. “Feisty as always. Yes. I remember how much you dislike your elders reminding you of your inexperience. That wasn’t my intent, Devi. I never saw you as a naïve little child. You’re quite mature. Life forged you that way. However, you are and have always been privileged, and unwilling to look at the other side. Yes, you help your people, aid them when they need a new roof. But you never have nor will you spend a day working a field or trying to see what it’s like to live on a copper a week.”
